Climate change is not something that will only affect generations to come - something for someone else to worry about. It is happening here and now, in Woking. The effects are felt at a local level, with temperature rises and changes in rainfall already having an impact on our every day lives. Parts of Woking were severely affected by flooding in 2000 and while flood alleviation measures such as those planned for the Hoe Valley will help protect our Borough from future flood events, it is up to us to act now to prevent further damage.

Transport is a major contributor to pollution, amounting to 19 per cent of Woking's greenhouse gas emissions. While cutting out a small journey may not feel like it can have a difference, the cumulative effect could prove vital, particularly when the first mile of every journey produces a disproportionately high level of CO2 gasses and one in four car journeys are less than two miles.

If all the commuters in England with a journey of less than five miles went by bike rather than car or bus, they save a collective 44,000 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent emissions produced by heating nearly 17,000 houses. So, start making a difference and ditch four wheels for two. Every car journey saved really does count!